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Opinion

Hear the opinions and comment from some of the top names in pharmacy. Make sure you get in touch and share your opinions with us too.
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Pharmacy First: what happens now?

The future of the Pharmacy First service in England is clouded in uncertainty yet its potential is enormous. Even more than that – contractors need the cash, writes editor Richard Thomas.

17 Mar 2025

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From the Editor: Neighbourhood watch

Commissioning is undergoing a quiet revolution. Pharmacy must be an active partner in integrated neighbourhood care. By Richard Thomas.

07 Mar 2025

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Prescribing: Time to get serious

A paper on the expansion of pharmacist prescribing from Bruce Warner and colleagues from the University of Nottingham is both timely and important, says Keith Ridge, former England CPhO.

27 Jan 2025

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Opinion: A watershed year for pharmacy

The vote by members of the RPS on the establishment of a Royal College of Pharmacy is a pivotal moment, says former RPSGB president Steve Churton.

20 Jan 2025

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Pharmacy 2024: a year of crises and closures

The sad sight last year of shuttered pharmacies became increasingly common, says Andrew McCoig. Will the Government finally bring common sense to bear in 2025 – before it’s too late?

03 Jan 2025

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A Royal College for pharmacy? Let’s raise our expectations

A vote for a Royal College would make structured career progression and support for advanced practice a reality for many community pharmacists. But it would only be as good as the profession wants to make it, says RPS Scottish Pharmacy Board chair Jonathan Burton.

03 Jan 2025

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Viewpoint: Make hub and spoke happen – before it’s too late

Hub and spoke dispensing is the shot in the arm that independent pharmacists need, argues Daniel Lee, founder and CEO of HubRx and Pharmacy+Health.

22 Nov 2024

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Needed: a national community pharmacy diabetes screening service

A pharmacy-delivered screening service is a ‘no-brainer’ to improve diabetes care, says Company Chemists’ Association chief executive, Malcolm Harrison.

05 Nov 2024

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Opinion: Ballot is a reluctant but necessary step. Please vote

The sector’s financial plight leaves us with no choice but to ballot members on the withdrawal of some services, says NPA chief executive Paul Rees.

23 Oct 2024

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Opinion: Pharmacy is in a much better place. Really.

The new Government is trying to repair a ‘broken’ NHS and Lord Darzi has been brought back into the fold to advise Labour ministers for a second time. I was there when he did his first review in 2007, says Keith Ridge, former chief pharmacist for England. So what’s changed?

17 Oct 2024

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Opinion: My first Pharmacy Show

Digital editor Sonya Reuther gives a freshman’s take on Birmingham’s big pharmacy event...

16 Oct 2024

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Opinion: What are the implications of an Assisted Dying Bill?

With the Scottish Parliament considering a Bill on assisted dying, Numark chairman Harry McQuillan examines what the implications for community pharmacists could be should the proposed legislation become law.

08 Oct 2024

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Editor’s viewpoint: Celts, cuts and colleges

The news wires are buzzing; it’s been a busy month. Pharmacists are facing huge questions on all fronts, says Pharmacy Magazine editor Richard Thomas.

04 Oct 2024

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Opinion: Crying wolf about the elephant in the room...

Have community pharmacy owners and their representatives been crying wolf for the past 30 years? One of our readers* has been crunching the numbers and draws some interesting conclusions. But is he or she right?

06 Sep 2024

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Editor’s viewpoint: Time to make a stand

Levels of violence, abuse and aggressive behaviour are escalating in pharmacy. Enough’s enough, says PM editor Richard Thomas.

23 Aug 2024

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